EngageNY
Paragraph Writing, Part 1: How Esperanza Responds on the Train (Revisiting Chapter 5: "Las Guayabas/Guavas")
When your class members have completed the novel Esperanza Rising, they will be ready to write an expository essay on how Esperanza responds to events and what this says about her character. Set your pupils up for success by...
EngageNY
Planning the Argument: Writing the Claim and Reasons
Step up! Using the resource, scholars discover the six steps to writing an effective position paper. Next, they work on a graphic organizer to begin planning their argument-based essays.
EngageNY
Grade 12 ELA Module 1: Unit 1, Lesson 24
Today's discussion of The Autobiography of Malcolm X focuses on the precise words, the telling phrases, and the sensory details Haley uses to enliven his story. Writers then work to incorporate these same techniques in the draft of their...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 15
To conclude the study of the play, William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope, class members craft an in-class essay comparing Doescher's adaptation to George Lucas's film, Star Wars: A New Hope.
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Informational Essay Planning: Essay Rubric and Essay Planner
Class members dig into the expectations for the end-of-unit assessment for A Mighty Long Way by studying the rubric. The Rubric Criteria strips help pairs of readers look more closely at specific rubric points. They share ideas with the...
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End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part Two: Final Draft of Analytical Essay
What's one way to make a good essay great? Revise! Scholars revise their drafts from a previous lesson plan to help write their final polished analytical essays about the universal refugee experience. They also practice properly citing...
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End of Unit 2 Assessment: Final Draft of Literary Argument Essay
Take the last step in writing a literary argument essay using Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis in an activity focused on feedback. Using the stars and steps revision method, pupils consider teacher and peer feedback to revise...
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Grade 11 ELA Module 1: Unit 2, Lesson 10
To write an essay or not to write an essay—that is the question! Scholars complete a mid-unit assessment based on their study of Hamlet. They write essays analyzing how Shakespeare develops Hamlet's character about other characters.
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End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 2: Revise Essay Drafts
Time to revise! Scholars revise their argument essays based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream using feedback from their teacher and peers. They begin their revisions after reviewing a mini-instructional activity on proper...
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Writing an Argument Essay: Evaluating the Model and Crafting a Claim
Pupils prepare to write argumentative essays based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They begin weighing evidence and crafting claims for their writing about control.
EngageNY
End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 1:Drafting the Argument Essay
An informative resource instructs pupils on how to write their essay drafts about the theme of control in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next, scholars complete an Exit Ticket, listing their three favorite characters from the...
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Scaffolding for Position Paper: Clarifying Body Paragraphs, Introduction, and Conclusion
Let's have a talk. Scholars talk through the body paragraphs of their Sustainable Water Management position paper with peers. They take turns explaining their work to one another. They then begin to work independently on the introduction...
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End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 1b: Writing Introduction and Conclusion
Writers continue looking at the rubric for their A Long Walk to Water essays. This time, they analyze the demands for the introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Pupils compare the rubric to the opening and closing of the model...
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End of Unit 1, Assessment, Part 2: Revise Essay Drafts
As a culminating unit activity, pupils revise their argumentative essays based on the novel Lyddie by Katherine Paterson. Paying careful attention to grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary, they incorporate teacher feedback to revise and...
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Grade 10 ELA Module 2: Unit 1, Lesson 10
Scholars review the previous nine lessons of analysis of King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and use their work to create a formal essay responding to a writing prompt about the purpose of the work. This mid-unit assessment is a quick...
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Planning the Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs of the End of Unit Assessment Essay
Preparation is the key to success! Using the guiding resource, scholars plan their end-of-unit analytical essays' introductory and concluding paragraphs based on their reading of Inside Out & Back Again. To prepare, they complete a...
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Grade 10 ELA Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 22
The Witches, Lady Macbeth, or Macbeth himself: who is the culprit? Using the resource, pupils craft multi-paragraph essays to present arguments about which character is responsible for the tragedy in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Additionally,...
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Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 2, Lesson 8
Shakespeare's Macbeth has something for everyone. Scholars complete a mid-unit assessment. They craft multi-paragraph essays to analyze how the author's structural choices create tension and suspense in the play's first two acts.
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Grade 11 ELA Module 1: Unit 2, Lesson 25
Revenge, mortality, madness—what are the central ideas from Shakespeare's Hamlet? Scholars answer the question by writing multi-paragraph responses. They also identify and discuss literary devices from the play.
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Analyzing a Model Position Paper
What's the difference between a position speech and a position paper? Scholars use a rubric to analyze a model essay about Michael Pollan's food chains to understand what makes them unique. Additionally, pupils create anchor charts...
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Grade 10 ELA Module 2: Unit 2, Lesson 5
How do learners use textual evidence from a close reading to write a well-developed essay? Scholars try it by completing a mid-unit assessment based on their analysis of the first 15 paragraphs from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia...
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Grade 10 ELA Module 2: Unit 2, Lesson 10
All good things must come to an end! Scholars put all their learning into practice by completing an end-of-unit assessment. They use textual evidence from Julia Alvarez's "A Genetics of Justice" to write essays analyzing how Alvarez...
California Department of Education
Writing Right
Prepare high school seniors for the job search process with a lesson that teaches them how to craft four different types of business letters: the cover letter, the informational interview request, a reference request, and a thank you...
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Grade 9 ELA Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 5
After rereading the full text of Walter Mosley's essay "True Crime," groups complete an evidence collection tool worksheet, and then class members independently draft a multi-paragraph, evidence-based response that identifies how Mosley...